CCFC has long been at the forefront of the movement to reduce children’s screen time—and The Big Disconnect is an important tool for helping families and people who work with children address this challenging issue. As families are more and more consumed by screens —children constantly texting their friends, parents working online around the clock—everyday life is undergoing a massive transformation. Easy availability to the Internet and social media has erased the boundaries that protect children from the unsavory aspects of adult life. Parents often feel they are losing a meaningful connection with their children. Children are feeling lonely and alienated.

Renowned psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair has written a highly readable book—relying on research and her clinical experience to argue for the urgent need to set limits on how much and what kind of media children consume. Not only do chronic tech distractions have deep and lasting effects, but children desperately need parents to provide what tech cannot: close, significant interactions with the adults in their lives. Steiner-Adair offers insights and advice that can help parents achieve greater understanding, authority, and confidence as they come up against the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms.